Welt closing mechanism for straight knitting machines



Aug. 22, 1950 E. M. ZESCH 2,519,991

WELT CLOSING MECHANISM FOR STRAIGHT KNITTING MACHINES Filed Jan. 14, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet l WITNESSES I N V EN TOR:

A TTORNEYS.

E. M. ZESCH WELT CLOSING MECHANISM FOR STRAIGHT KNITTING MACHINES Aug. 22,: 1950 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fil'ea Jan. 14, 1949 a w Z w.

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. WELT CLOSING MECHANISM FOR STRAIGHT KNITTING MACHINES Filed Jan. 14, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 WITNESSES INVENTOR: l/wijaafi EzymM LZeszk,

BY M W 0Q Q a ATTORNEYS.

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Patented Aug. 22, 1950 WELT CLOSING MECHANISM FOR STRAIGHT KNITTING MACHINES Eugene M. Zesch, Shillington, Pa., assignor to Karl Lieberknecht, Inc., Reading, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 14, 1949, Serial No. 70,913

3 Oiaims.

This invention relates to welt closing mechanism useful in connection with straight knitting machines of the multi-section Cotton type such as are ordinarily used in the commercial production of flat fashioned stockings and the More specifically the present invention is concerned with automatic welt closing mechanism generally of the construction shown and described in U. S. Patent #2,269,463 granted to K. R. Lieberknecht on January 13, 1942, wherein hooked welt bars, after being engaged with the starting courses of the knitting, are moved outward for a time to draw off the fabrics until a sufficient welt length is formed, and then reversely moved to double the fabric over Welt rods and to restore the initial courses to the needles, the welt bars being initially placed in vertical guideways of holders and released as the latter are moved outwardly concurrently with the welt bars after several courses of the fabrics have been knitted. While the welt bars are automatically released from the holders, in this patented mechanism, the arrangement is such that the rods must be inserted into the holders while the machines are idle and before the commencement of each stocking knitting cycle. In multiple section knitting machines, a considerable amount of time is thus consumed in carrying out this preparatory requirement with consequent loss in production from the machines.

My invention has for its chief aim to obviate the foregoing drawbacks. This objective is attained in practice, as hereinafter more fully set forth, through provision of means whereby the rods are releasably supported on the welt bars,

and means on the holders automatically operative as the welt bars move outwardly in drawing the welt fabrics from the needles, to dislodge the rods and free them to drop into the guideways of the holders in readiness to be subse- .quently released from the latter as heretofore.

After the completion of the welts and at any time during the knitting of the remaining portions of the stockings other welt rods may be placed on the welt bars by the machine operatives in readiness for use in the knitting of a succeeding set of stockings without necessitating stoppage of the machines between successive knitting cycles.

Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from the following detailed description of the attached drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a fragmentary broken out View in front elevation of one section of a straight multisection stocking knitting machine with welt 55 turning mechanism conveniently embodying the present improvements.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken as indicated by the angled arrows IIII in. Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail View in rear elevation looking as indicated by the angled arrows IL-III in Fig. 2.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are views like Fig. 2 showing successive stages in the formation and closing of a welt fabric in the machine in accordance with my invention.

With reference first more particularly of Figs. 1 and 2 of these illustrations, l0 designates one of the movable needle bars of the knitting machine which supports the usual series of spring beard needles H, and 52 one of the transverselyslotted stationary heads in which sinkers I3 are guided for endwise movement relative to the needles in stitch formation. Fixedly mounted crosswise of the front bed [5 of the machine are rails l6 upon which the welt rod shown at I! is adapted to be supported after closing of the welt fabric F. Suspended from arms l8 as in U. S. Patent #2,269,463 supra, are angular brackets l9 that support a longitudinally extending welt bar having fabric loop engaging instrumentalities 2| to individually cooperate with alternate needles of the series l l in the manner described in said patent. Movable along the rails it are slides 22 with laterally projecting studs 23 engaged in slots 24 at the inner ends of links 25, which, at their outer ends, are pivotally connected to actuating arms 26 on a shaft 21 rotatably supported in bearing brackets 28 on the front bed l5 of the machine. The links are yieldingly held normally in the position in which they are shown in Fig. 2 relative to the slides 22', i. e., with the rear ends of the slots 24 contacting the studs 23, by springs 29. It is to be understood that the shaft 2'! is arranged to be actuated by means such as also disclosed in the aforesaid patent. As shown, the slides 22 have vertical guide ways 30 at their inner sides capable of receiving the ends of the welt bar [1, said guide ways being open at the front at the bottom as at 3! Anchored in, and upstanding from the inner ends of rails [B are angular stops 32 which may be formed from stout wire with their horizontal arms projecting outwardly of the machine to intercept the welt rod IT in the guide ways 39 of the holder slides 22, and to temporarily support the rods above the plane of the welt fabric until a desired length of the latter has been knitted as will be later on explained.

In accordance with my invention, the end lugs 33 of the welt bar 20 are formed with shouldered ledges 34 upon which the welt rod I1 is initially placed, and the front walls of the guide ways 30 of the slides 22 are extended upwardly as at 35, and provided at the rear of their tops with bevelled cam projections 36. The finger springs shown at 3'! are secured at their upper ends to the arms l8 by bolts 38 with their distal ends extending downward and over the welt rod H to releasably retain it on the welt bar until its use is required.

Operation In preparation for each knitting cycle of the machine a welt rod I7 is laid, as shown in Figs. 1-3 upon the ledges 34 of the welt bar 20 with the spring fingers 31 engaging the circumferential grooves adjacent the ends of said rod. The welt rod is thus definitely positioned and .held centrally of the welt bar 20 as considered lengthwise, with its ends projecting, as in Figs..2 and 3. Upon starting of themachineand formatiton of the first course of the knitting, the welt mechanism is brought into operationin slides 22, andthe spring fingers 31 are incidentally flexed to release the rod. In being .thus released the welt rod 11 rolls down over the .back of the welt bar '20 nd drops ontothe stops 32 as shown in broken lines 4, withits ends engaged in the guide ways 30 of the holder slides 22. Soon thereafter, as the welt.bar 20 continues further in its outward movement, the holder slides 22 are caused to move'with it by the pull of the links 25 as the rock shaft 21 is turned clockwise as described in the aforementioned Lieberknecht atent. .As the slides 22 thus recede, the welt bar H is pushed off the stops 32 and drops onto the fabric F. After a sufficient length of welt fabric has been knitted, :the movement of the welt bar 20 is automatically reversed as in Fig. 5 to close the welt which, it is to be understood, is also accomplished .in the manner set forth in the Lieberknecht patent. As this reversal takes place, the welt bar 1! as is .restrained as the fabric is folded over it as in Fig. 5, through engagement of its ends with the back walls of the guide ways 30 in the slides 22, the springs 29 yielding at this time to permit slight movement of said slides independently of the links 25 and so avoid imposition of undue strain upon the fabric. At this point the elastic straps 39 of the take-up roller (not shown) are moved in and hooked onto the endsof welt rods IT. By anti-clockwise racking of shaft '21, the slides 22 are then returned to their normal position, the ends of welt bar I! incidentally clearing through the openings 3| in the front of the guide ways '30, concurrently with advanceof the welt bar 20 as in Fig. 6 to deposit the starting course of the fabric still on its hooks upon the needles to finally close the welt.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. Welt closing mechanism for a knitting machine having a straight series of needles, comprising a welt rod; a bar with hook instrumentalities for engaging the starting course of welt fabric on the needles, said bar having a shouldered ledge at the back thereof upon which the welt rod is placed, and a spring finger for normally holding the rod upon said ledge; means for supporting the welt bar incident to movement of the welt bar away from the needles to draw off theweltfabric as it is being formed; and releasing means automatically operable, after a definite length of welt fabric is produced, to dislodge the welt rod from the shoulder of the Welt bar and .--to incidentally flex the spring finger and so release said rod to drop toward the fabric behind the hookinstrumentalities of said bar.

2. Welt closing mechanism accordingtonclaim 1, wherein the welt rod is supported .on the ledge of the welt bar with its opposite ends projecting beyond said-bar; and wherein the releasing means includes elements with cam projections for engaging the projecting ends of the welt rod 1 in order to displace it for release.

3. Welt closing mechanism for a knitting. machine having a straight series of needles comprising a welt rod; bar with hooked. instru- .mentalities for engaging the starting courseof Welt fabric on the needles, said bar having, at the back thereof, a ledge. upon which the welt :rod is adapted to be placed, and. spring fingers .for engaging the rod adjacent its opposite ends .to-hold it on the ledge; means for supporting the welt bar incident to movement away from .the

:needles in drawing off the welt fabric as it is being produced; holder elements constrained to movement outward of the needlesandhavingat their inner sides,'vertical guide ways which are forwardly open at the bottom, and of which the front walls extend above the holder elements,

. said front walls being provided at their upper endswith cam projections for engaging the op- "posite'ends of the welt rod to displace the latter and incidently flex the spring fingers as the welt bar is moved outward; fixed stop elements for intercepting the rod in its fall upon being released and for temporarily supporting it in the guide ways of the holder elements above the plane of the welt. fabric; and means for subsequently moving said elements outwardconcurrently with the welt bar, whereby the welt rod is displaced from the restraining stops to finally drop. ontothe welt fabric.

EUGENE M. ZESCH.

REFERENCES CITED 'The following references are of record inthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,162,121 Ruedt et a1. June 13, 1939 2,269,463 Lieberknecht Jan. 13,1942 

